Tea Leaf Reading

When I do a tea cup reading I allow my thoughts to run freely and my imagination becomes my intuition, as I interpret the symbols in those tea leaves for the client.

There are written guidelines as to what various shapes can symbolize, but I tend to let my imagination do the talking. Symbols can include animals, people, and all kinds of objects. Symbols grouped together create a theme, and of course the actual tea leaves often spell out letters of the alphabet and even omens.

Reading the pattern of used tea leaves is used mainly in the West now and became popular in Victorian times as a parlor game, although it is said to stem back to Ancient Greece, the Middle East and Asia, and not only with Gypsy fortune-tellers.

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage ~ Catherine Douzel

Like the Tarot or using a crystal ball, tea leaf reading, also known as tasseography, tasseomancy or tassology, is a tool used to tap into the subconscious, and is also useful as a form of meditation. Slowing down the rational, analytical mind enables us to focus on our intuition and it stimulates creative problem-solving. Tasseography also relates to the reading of wine sediments and coffee grounds.

Some say drinking the tea with one’s non-dominant hand helps coordinate the left and right brain activity, to stimulate creative problem solving. A simple cup and saucer will suffice, but there are also cups and saucer sets on the market especially made for reading tea leaves. These sets include ones with a playing card theme that has tiny images of playing cards inside the cup and on the saucer, or sets with psychic symbols or the icons of the zodiac.

Concentration and the reader’s ability to intuit the information presented in the tea leaves is important. A peaceful environment will enhance these abilities. And, as with all divination methods, psychic protection is a must.

How To Read Tea Leaves

Ingredients: Half a teaspoon of loose tea, hot water, and a cup and saucer. Tea cut from a tea bag is too fine for deciphering symbols.

Method: The customer should sit close to the reader and be asked to stir loose tea into the cup and add hot water. The customer then drinks their tea, leaving a small amount at the bottom of the cup. The longer the customer can hold their cup and focus on the leaves, the more accurate the reading will be.

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea ~ Bernard-Paul Heroux

Ask the customer to swirl the residue in the cup three times clockwise. The cup is then turned upside down onto the saucer, which allows the tea to drain before being passed to the reader.

Interpretation: Sadness in the customer’s future is indicated should the tea fail to drain away. Bubbles coming to the surface of the tea can suggest a kiss or that money is on the way. Any spillage is viewed as good luck by some readers.

Stalks in the leaf imagery can represent people and the angle of the stalks can reveal information about a person, even as to whether they are untrustworthy (angled sideways) or very angry (stalks crossing). A stem or stalk floating to the surface suggests a female or male visitor.

Superstition has it that stirring someone else’s tea initiates a quarrel. Weak tea suggests a friendship coming to an end. Strong tea shows a new friendship. Tea leaf symbols which disappear rapidly after reading suggest they relate to matters which are no longer of much significance to the sitter. The clarity and size of an image should also be taken into account.

For the timing of an event, the closer the symbol is to the rim of the cup, the sooner it will happen. A thickly formed tea leaf symbol means the impact will be a strong one on the sitter’s life.

When finished with the tea leaves, folklore suggests that throwing them on the ground can keep away evil spirits!

About The Author: Shani

Shani is a qualified practitioner in Reiki, aromatherapy, reflexology, body spin, and animal telepathy who received psychic development training at the Arthur Findlay College of Psychic Research in England. A published writer, her articles and predictions have appeared in several respected magazines and on psychic websites, and she has read for many celebrities and even heads of state in Africa. Though she was born in London, Shani has traveled the globe and has studied the art of African Mysticism, bringing her unique flavor to those seeking her incredible talents. Get a reading with Shani at PsychicAccess.com.